This month I’m bring out all of the deliciously delicate silk and linen and cotton that’s been hidden away at the back of my closet since last September. Hallelujah. Come the first of June I always begin to itch for more sunshine (Vitamin D deficiency or no?) and always start to pencil in long summer nights out, wearing the sexier pieces in my closet. Striking a balance between looking good and feeling comfortable is easy enough, so long as I rely on a summer skin secret my mom shared long ago: When you’re getting dressed and it’s dripping-humid-mid-summer-in-Georgia-hot out: Show off one feature, play down the rest.

How to pack for two to three weeks in Europe using a single carry on. Plus my capsule wardrobe packing system, what’s in my bag, a few travel tips, and a handy printable packing list. If broken roller boards, sore shoulders, Zambian baggage fees, and a lone suitcase languishing on the tarmac of the Madrid airport have taught me one thing about exploring this world, it is this: Pack light to travel well. How light? Whether a trip is three days or three weeks my max is a 10 kg / 22 lb duffel bag paired with a little 14L backpack. 22 pounds (plus a small bag or personal item) is the typical limit for carry-on luggage on most smaller airlines. According to backpacking experts, 22 pounds is also on the lighter side of my ideal pack weight, which is 1/4 to 1/6 of my 125 lb total body weight. To me, traveling well means having enough clothes, toiletries, and travel essentials to be comfortable without dragging along anything I could do without. The fewer …